Assessing Levels of Narrative Memory Over Time

Abstract

Abstract Memory for text is represented at 3 levels: the surface form, textbase, and situation model. Although prior research has shown that these levels of representation can be differentially emphasized at the time of encoding, the influence of retrieval instructions on the use of these levels has not been tested. Moreover, there has been no assessment of how this influence might change over time. We assessed memory under both verbatim- and consistency-based instructions. For the verbatim instructions, people indicated whether probe sentences were actually read in the text. For consistency instructions, people responded based on whether probe sentences were consistent with what had been read earlier. A transitory influence view suggests that instructions at retrieval would guide the information used immediately, but not after a delay, when some levels of representation have faded. In contrast, a stable influence view suggests that retrieval instructions would guide the information used both immediately and after a delay. The results revealed that the verbatim instructions emphasized surface form and textbase measures, but consistency instructions emphasized situation model measures. This pattern shifted somewhat over a 1-week delay, with surface form memory becoming equivalent but the differences at the other 2 levels remaining.